Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on the Rise of Islamophobia

The Independent carries a column by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Monday, 9 November 2009), a woman that whose views on hijab often leave me rather cheesed off (1, 2, 3) and most of whose opinions seem to be the exact opposite of mine. But this time even she seems to have gotten fed up with the level of Islam- and Muslim-bashing meted out by both the right and left-wing:

"I can now better imagine the national mood that led to the internment of the Japanese in the US in 1942, and in both wars to the rounding up of "enemy aliens" in the UK, many of whom were kept in camps on the Isle of Man and were made to suffer for being who they were ethnically and for no other reason. The former Labour minister, Kim Howells, set out his chilling plans this week on how best, or at least better, to confront Islamist terrorism in the UK. Bring back our boys from Afghanistan, a graveyard that swallows all outsiders. Use the resources, men and might of this nation to increase the pressure on British Muslims, watch them, follow them, spy on them.

Go further Howells, why don't you? Perhaps take away our passports so we cannot travel to the sub-continent or North Africa or the Arab countries. Make us wear a green band in the streets. Punish us collectively, all the time, as Martin Amis fervidly imagined in his poetic thought-experiments. Stop us buying mobile phones and computers. Bang up as many Muslims as possible and put them through re-education programmes using old Maoist manuals. Then we will all be really safe."